


If Only

by generalkenobi715



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:27:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25604320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/generalkenobi715/pseuds/generalkenobi715
Summary: They were hesitant to speak.  Obi-wan ran a hand over Luke’s hair, feeling the warmth of his small body and the rise and fall of his chest as he slept.  He looked over at Anakin, who sat with his head resting on his daughter’s, pushing stray strands of hair away from her face as she nodded off.  When she was finally asleep, he planted a kiss on her forehead, pulling her closer to him.“Sweet dreams, Princess.”
Relationships: Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 12
Kudos: 58





	If Only

Luke’s laughter pierced the air as he sped down the shore, Leia hot on his heels. The wind pushed off from the lake, carefully picking up the waves before they crashed by four bare feet. You could smell the freshwater in the air, and the sun turned Luke’s hair almost platinum as the breeze pushed it back from his forehead. The same wind teased Leia’s out of her braids; so carefully plaited this morning, a few hours with her brother had pulled wisps of dark brown out from the pigtails, framing her brow as she fought to catch the boy ahead of her.

The Naberrie house sat peacefully over the lake just a few yards away, and Padme appeared on the balcony just as three figures approached the front gates. A smile quirked at the edges of her mouth as she called out to the children.  
“Luke, Leia! You have guests!”

Two small heads whipped around to where she stood, eyes of bright blue and deep brown going wide at the same time. They met their mother’s mischievous eye, then swiveled to look at each other before tearing off towards the gate, kicking up clouds of sand in their wake. This time, Leia was out ahead of Luke as they sprinted through the grass, rounding the corner to find the three figures their mother had noticed, two standing out slightly in front of the third.

Excited shrieks could be heard from miles away as the twins simultaneously jumped into two pairs of waiting arms.  
“Uncle Obi-wan!”  
“Auntie Soka!!”

Obi-wan laughed as Leia threw his arms around his neck, giggling furiously as he picked her up and spun her around - just like he’d always done. Luke was typically more reserved, but ran into Ahsoka’s outstretched arms with just as much excitement. She matched his energy, as always, holding him by the arms to look at him.  
“Heya Skyguy, look how big you’ve gotten!!”

The boy squealed as she ruffled his hair, leaning in to speak quietly in Ahsoka’s ear.  
“I’m taller than Leia now, but don’t tell her I told you.”

Ahsoka laughed, but it was no use. An indignant cry came from over their heads as Leia turned in Obi-wan’s arms.  
“You are not!”  
“Am too!”  
“Are not!!”

An amused voice piped up over the argument. “Hey, hey!”  
The twins jerked up, tracing the source of the voice back to a man in dark robes, smirking oh-so characteristically.  
“If the two of you are finished arguing, don’t I get any love?”

The diversion from the previous conversation was instantaneous, as was the shriek of excitement.  
“Dad!!”

Anakin laughed and crouched down to the ground as the twins bolted towards him, throwing their arms around him. Before he knew it, the two of them had knocked him over, belly laughing as they pushed him onto the soft grass below.

Anakin sat up, scooping both children in his arms before getting to his feet. Obi-wan and Ahsoka were standing side by side, smiling with their heads together as if they were amused by the three of them. Anakin raised an eyebrow, opening his mouth to speak. He was abruptly interrupted, however, by Leia’s laughter as she climbed up onto his shoulders, tugging at his hair as she went.  
“Hey, that hurts kid!”

Leia plopped herself down, making an effort to smooth the strands of hair she’d yanked out of place.   
“Better?”

It was hard not to perceive sarcasm in her voice, although none of them were sure that was a concept many 4 year olds were able to grasp.  
Anakin gave a low chuckle anyway.   
“Better.”

He looked down to where Luke sat on his right hip, brows furrowed as if he were about to object.

Luckily, Ahsoka intervened right on time.  
“Come on over here Skyguy, I’ve got a free pair of shoulders.”

Luke’s face lit up instantly, reaching out for Ahsoka before she lifted him over her head and the five of them began walking towards the house. His laugh was contagious, and it permeated Obi-wan’s voice as he spoke.  
“I guess they’ve made my place known.”

Ahsoka rolled her eyes, but played into it anyway. “I think it’s the beard.”

Anakin snorted, and Leia echoed him from over his head. Obi-wan swiveled, arms crossed with an air of sarcasm.   
“At least I can grow facial hair.”

This time Ahsoka was the one to let out a choking laugh.

“I can too grow facial hair! What do you think, Princess, should Daddy grow a beard like Uncle Obi-wan?”

Leia crinkled her nose, squinting down at her father.   
“I think you should leave the beard to Uncle Obi-wan. It looks better on him.”

Anakin didn’t have time to be mockingly outraged before Luke piped up.  
“That’s rude!”  
“He asked!”  
“It’s still not nice!”

Leia crossed her arms. “Mommy says we should always be honest.”

Luke crossed his less gracefully, leaning towards his sister. “Mommy says we shouldn’t be mean to Daddy because he’s sensitive.”

Three adult mouths gaped in emotions varying from shock to mirth to indignation. Luckily, they were spared any further argument by the sound of an amused voice from a few feet ahead.

“Luke, what did I tell you about that conversation?”

Luke looked at his mother, wringing his hands together and returning her smirk.  
“That it was private.”

Padme laughed, walking towards the group.  
“I guess I know who can’t keep a secret.”

Obi-wan was the first to reach Padme, greeting her with all his typical manners, followed by Ahsoka, who had put Luke down in order to give the least ladylike hug. Luke pulled the both of them away as Anakin reached his wife, Leia still sitting happily on his shoulders.

“How is her majesty today?”  
She laughed. “Better now.”

Anakin leaned down to kiss her. He should’ve anticipated the chorus of “EWWW!!!” that came from above his head.

He sighed, a glint of amusement in his eyes. “Hey Leia, I think Luke is showing Uncle Obi-wan how fast he can run.”

Leia’s head snapped up.   
“I can run faster, let me show you!!”

Anakin struggled to bend down quickly enough before Leia tore off the balcony to where Obi-wan and Ahsoka were sitting with Luke in the grass.

Anakin looked back at Padme, smiling as he took her face in his hands and kissed her for what felt like the first time in forever. She melted into him, breaking away with a smile before nestling her head into his shoulder. Anakin turned his head, following her gaze out to where the children were playing in the sun. Leia was, in fact, showing her aunt and uncle how fast she could run, while Luke was contented with sitting next to Obi-wan, marveling as one of his toy ships levitated just beyond the older Jedi’s fingertips. 

Anakin looked back down at Padme.   
“Shall we?”  
She nodded, and he planted one last kiss on the top of her head as he started off towards the open grass. Luke let out a surprised laugh as his Dad ran by, and Leia shrieked as Anakin chased her down, grabbing her under the arms and swinging her in the air. 

Padme laughed as she sat down next to Obi-wan, the two of them sharing a knowing look as Anakin and Ahsoka continued to tease Leia.   
Luke sat still for a beat, but after a moment, he couldn’t watch the fun any longer. With a look back at his mother for approval, he sprung up from his spot, dashing over to where his sister was rolling in the grass.

Suddenly, an excited gasp pierced the air. “Who wants to swim in the lake?”  
Anakin looked at Padme as he said it, anticipating both the shaking of her head and the smile that pried at her lips.

Two more excited gasps, and two small forms were dashing back towards the beach, their family hot on their tails.

When night fell on Naboo, the breeze was cooler, calmer. Still, it teased at the hair of two very tired children, remnants of a day on the lake still present in long, drooping eyelashes. The fireplace built into the side of the house was lit by the flames within, and the sound of crickets could be heard over the crackling of the firewood. 

Ahsoka and Padme sat directly next to each other, watching the flames lick at the stone around them. Leia sat curled up in a bigger chair next to her father, nestled in the crook of his arm. Luke, on the other hand, was fast asleep, head resting on Obi-wan’s chest as he sat with his back against the nearest pillar. The lake was calm, illuminated only by the the light from the house and the sporadic glow of the firebugs that flew overhead.   
It was peaceful.

They were hesitant to speak. Obi-wan ran a hand over Luke’s hair, feeling the warmth of his small body and the rise and fall of his chest as he slept. He looked over at Anakin, who sat with his head resting on his daughter’s, pushing stray strands of hair away from her face as she nodded off. When she was finally asleep, he planted a kiss on her forehead, pulling her closer to him.   
“Sweet dreams, Princess.”

Ahsoka and Padme had shifted their gaze from the fire to the four beings in front of them. They didn’t need to talk about what they were seeing - they’d felt the bond with the twins enough themselves to know how the two men felt just about now. A look, and they understood. 

Those kids were everything, to all of them.  
It was a life none of them had ever expected - or even dared to dream about.  
But not one of them would have it any other way.

It was Obi-wan who spoke up first.   
“This is perfect.”

Padme smiled. “It is. It really is.”  
She felt Anakin’s gaze on her, and turned her head to look at him. He was still holding Leia under his chin, but there was an air of expectation in his eyes. He didn’t have to ask the question out loud.  
“Now?”

Padme nodded. Now was as good a time as ever. She rose from her seat, walking over to sit next to Anakin. She ran a hand over Leia’s cheek - she was so peaceful when she slept - and then placed it on Anakin’s arm reassuringly.

Anakin cleared his throat. “We...uhh, actually have something to tell you guys, I think.”

Padme rolled her eyes. Such a way with words.

Ahsoka and Obi-wan raised their heads, surprise and confusion mingling in their expressions. They didn’t say anything, waiting for Anakin to fill the silence.

Instead, he looked at Padme. She could see the anxiety in his eyes - he hadn’t had to do this the last time. But after a moment, nerves turned to sheer excitement, and he broke into a smile.   
Unlike last time, he didn’t have to be afraid.

“Padme and I...” he started, not moving his gaze. His grin grew ever wider as he spoke, but Padme finished for him.

“We’re having another baby.”

The initial shock from Obi-wan and Ahsoka was tangible, especially in the silence. But after a beat, Ahsoka was on her feet and hugging Padme tightly, trying to muffle her squeals while Obi-wan grinned from ear to ear, with Anakin returning the look. He lowered his head for a moment, breathing in the air around him, holding Luke just a bit tighter.   
He could hear that Ahsoka was onto Anakin now, rejoicing with her master while trying not to wake Leia. She couldn’t have been happier for the two of them - the two people she loved more than anything in the world. Well, except for maybe Luke and Leia. And Baby Skyguy.

After a moment, Padme came over to take Luke from Obi-wan’s arms, and he hugged her tighter than he ever thought he would. 

“Congratulations, Padme. Truly.”

She knew he meant it.

By the time Anakin walked over with Leia on his hip, Obi-wan was trying to hold back the tears that stung at the back of his eyes. Anakin only smirked at him before pulling him in with one arm. They didn’t need words. Everything they could ever say was already understood.

When Obi-wan stepped back, he saw Ahsoka bouncing up and down with excitement, laughing with her master - her brother. He saw Padme cradling a sleeping Luke, his shaggy blonde head resting on her shoulder. She was laughing, too. Over what, it didn’t matter. He saw Anakin walk over to his wife, free hand slipping to her waist, relief painted on his brow now that the secret was out; now that the two of them could share their joy. He saw two loving parents with two - no, three children. Children with a family that loved them more than they could possibly know. 

The breeze kicked up again, blowing at his hair and picking at the edge of his robes. Naboo was beautiful, but here, in the light of the fire over the vast lake, he saw something even more incredible. He saw happiness and light and love, all of which he felt just as strongly. Here, he saw his family. And he smiled.

Obi-wan’s eyes snapped open, and the breeze of the lake was replaced by the howl of a sandstorm outside his window. 

If only.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading :)


End file.
